How to Choose the Right Massage Chair for You

In our blog, we spend a substantial amount of time talking about the different types of massage chairs. While this information is important when you’re first looking for a massage chair, it can become overwhelming when it comes time to make a final choice. But knowing how to choose the right massage chair for you isn’t as complicated as it might seem. It’s all a matter of asking yourself two questions: Why do you want a massage chair and where do you want to put it?

Why Do You Want a Massage Chair?

Massage chairs serve two main purposes: they meet therapeutic needs or relaxation needs. If you know what your need is, then you can find a massage chair to meet it.

Muscle Pain

One of the most significant reasons people turn to massage is pain. Depending on the location and severity of the pain, you may want a specific kind of massage chair.

For instance, many massage chair owners buy a chair because of back or shoulder pain sustained from physical work. If your pain is centralized in your upper back and shoulders and stems more from knots and tension, you may want to focus on an S-track roller system. If your back pain extends down to the lower back, even as far as the hamstrings, you will want an L-track roller system. Less severe back pain may require only 2D roller dimensions, while more severe back pain or deeply rooted knots will likely require 3D or 4D rollers.

But for some people, back pain does not stem from physical labor but rather from posture. These are individuals who spend long days working in an office chair or at a computer. An S-track or L-track roller will help, but there are other accessories that will support these specific issues. Body stretch and zero-gravity massage chairs specifically target posture and release tension between the discs of the spinal cord, reduce back pain, and improve posture.

If your muscle pain is spread out to other parts of your body, such as your legs, you will want a more intensive massage. For leg pain, you will want chairs that include leg and calf massages and have an L-track roller system. If you are an athlete or spend a good amount of time at the gym, an air-based massage chair would be an especially good choice for you. These chairs grip and release the muscles of the leg to help release the built-up tension of a long workout, making you less likely to sustain injuries.

Heated massage chairs are another good option for those living an athletic lifestyle. One of the main sources of sore muscles after a workout is from an excess of lactic acid, and heat helps blood vessels to release lactic acid more quickly. Heat also helps the muscles to relax after a workout, hence why so many athletes hit the sauna after a workout. If you don’t have a sauna on hand, a heated massage chair is the next best thing.

Relaxation

For other people turning to massage, the tension they experience is not physical, but mental. The need for relaxation and rest is just as significant and can be just as easily met by massage chairs. Any kind of full-body massage will help reduce stress, but certain features may be more appealing to you than others.

Heat, for instance, has a calming effect and can help reduce anxiety and stress, and some research has even suggested that heat may help with depression and loneliness. Heated massage chairs could be a good choice if these are issues you struggle with. Another attribute of stress and anxiety is increased heart rate, leading to higher blood pressure. Massage, in general, will lower heart rate, but some chairs are specially equipped to lower heart rate. Zero-gravity chairs raise the legs to be even with the heart, improving blood flow and reducing heart rate. Weightlessness affords a great way to reduce stress levels as well, similar to how floating in a pool reduces stress.

Chairs can come equipped with other accessories beyond the massage attributes that can contribute to your relaxation experience. For instance, many chairs come equipped with MP3 capabilities. This helps combine the advantages of massage therapy with the benefits of music therapy, such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.

Where Are You Putting the Chair?

Along with the purpose of the massage chair, you will want to consider the logistics of how the chair will fit into a given space.

Size

When massage chairs were first invented, the massage technology was implemented into a straight-back wooden chair that wasn’t much bigger than a dining chair. But as massage chair technology has advanced, the chair itself has needed to become bigger in order to accommodate all of its functionality. Before you bring a massage chair into your home, you will want to consider whether you can fit a chair of that size into the intended space. If size is a problem, you don’t necessarily need to give up on your massage chair aspirations. There are plenty of massage chairs with sleeker designs that look similar to regular armchairs. These chairs will fit in any size apartment.

Color and Aesthetic

Massage chairs play so many roles in our daily lives that it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that they’re furniture pieces. And as furniture pieces, they need to harmonize with the décor of a room that you or your family took time to arrange and design. While looks aren’t everything, certainly where massage chairs are concerned, you may want to consider what the chair looks like. Most massage chairs come in multiple colors, so you can select a chair that will match the room. There are also chair designs with elegant stitching to complement different interior design styles.

Choosing the right massage chair for you is all about asking yourself the right questions. Discovering what your personal needs are and how the chair will fit into your space will help you narrow down your choices quickly. And when you’re ready to make a selection, you can be sure that you’ll find the perfect answer to your questions among our home massage devices.